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Clonality of cold agglutinins in patients with hemolytic anemia: An analysis by high‐resolution two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis
Author(s) -
Tissot JeanDaniel,
Clément François,
Schifferli Jüirg A.,
Frei Philippe C.,
Hochstrasser Denis F.,
Schneider Philippe
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
american journal of hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.456
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1096-8652
pISSN - 0361-8609
DOI - 10.1002/ajh.2830400304
Subject(s) - haptoglobin , cold agglutinin , autoimmune hemolytic anemia , hemolytic anemia , polyclonal antibodies , cold agglutinin disease , monoclonal , microbiology and biotechnology , paraproteinemia , chemistry , immunoelectrophoresis , hemolysis , immunoglobulin m , antibody , monoclonal antibody , immunology , biology , immunoglobulin g , multiple myeloma
High‐resolution two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DGE) was used to analyse plasma samples and partially purified cold agglutinins (CA) obtained from two selected patients. Both presented an acute hemolytic anemia with CA of high thermal amplitude, normal immunoglobulin levels, no detectable paraproteinemia, and no clinical evidence of a malignant B‐cell disorder. The electrophoretograms of their plasma showed evident alterations of the “normal” protein profile, which were directly related to hemolysis (absence of the spots of haptoglobin and in one case of those of hemopexin), but no monoclonal gammopathy. The electrophoretograms of their purified CA revealed two clearly different spot patterns respectively corresponding to a monoclonal IgM and to polyclonal IgM. These results show that the clonality of CA associated with hemolytic anemia can be easily determined by 2‐DGE. This technique may be very useful to discriminate chronic cold agglutinin disease in the early phase from “parainfectious” CA. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.